July 29, 2013

High fructose corn syrup is a dirty word to many shoppers. They have heard that the body doesn’t digest and absorb the fructose in this cheap sugar substitute the way ordinary sugar is metabolized. The liver is forced to convert the fructose into fat, and we get the urge to eat more.

No wonder a number of products have reformulated their brands and tout the fact that they no longer contain high fructose corn syrup.

One such product is Log Cabin syrup, which boasts this on their front label:

Great, thought Bryan A., a Mouse Print* reader. Then he read the ingredients statement on the back:

*MOUSE PRINT:

“If a banner across the front trumpets ‘NO HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP’ one doesn’t expect the first ingredient to be corn syrup,” explained Bryan. We agree.

There is, however, a difference between high fructose corn syrup and regular corn syrup.

“… corn starch is broken down into individual glucose molecules, the end product is corn syrup, which is essentially 100% glucose. To make high fructose corn syrup, enzymes are added to corn syrup in order to convert some of the glucose to another simple sugar called fructose. High fructose corn syrup is ‘high’ in fructose [thus making it sweeter] compared to the pure glucose that is in corn syrup.” — Food and Drug Administration.

We asked Pinnacle Foods, the maker of Log Cabin, twice to comment on this issue, and they did not respond.

I don’t think Pinnacle Foods needs to comment on this one. Corn syrup is not the same as High Fructose Corn Syrup. That information is not secret and I would hope more people would be willing to look it up before jumping to complain to the company. This labeling isn’t really misleading and there are much more pressing label issues.

Besides, if your main complaint about syrup is the difference between high fructose corn syrup and corn syrup then I think you’re on the wrong track. It’s usually the ambiguous label of artificial flavor and color that gets me. That and the 26 grams of sugar per serving (usually 60mL or 1/4 cup for syrup). Whether the sugar is pure or processed that is a lot.

I agree with Wayne R on his first point. HFCS is not the same as regular corn syrup and that’s what people want to avoid. Of course pancake syrup is going to be high in sugar, and the cheaper mass market brands aren’t going to use expensive maple syrup. There are brands of ketchup (Hunt’s, I believe) and jelly (one of the Welch’s grape jelly varieties) that also prominently state on their labels that they do not use HFCS. I don’t think any of these claims are misleading. If you don’t want ANY corn syrup in your products, there are brands for you and they cost a WHOLE lot more.

The big outrage about high fructose corn syrup is specifically about the the high fructose part. I believe most people who don’t want HFCS will be fine with corn syrup in their food. So I don’t think Pinnacle Foods has done anything misleading here.

(Whether or not corn syrup is actually better for you than HFCS is an entirely different issue.)

Everyone seems concerned with the sugar, and skip the 5 preserving agents. I bet the serving size is 1-2 tbsp (cant see from the pic). It has about 2/3rds the amount of sugar in a pop.

@James why shouldnt I eat pancakes? They are tasty. Usually 2-3 times a year I have some.

Plus if I saw that label and flipped it over I would get a chuckle. As they switched out one sugar for a slightly different one (looks like 2, corn syrup and sugar water). What the bold print giveth away the fine print taketh